Pin wheel siren

ABSTRACT

A PIN WHEEL SIREN IS DISCLOSED WHEREIN A DIAPHRAGM IS DRIVEN IN A FLEXURAL MODE BY A CANTILEVER ARM MEMBER FIXED TO THE DIAPHRAGM AT ONE END AND DISPLACED AT THE OTHER FREE END IN RESPONSE TO A ROTATING MEMBER HAVING PERIPHERAL HIGH AND LOW REGIONS. A WIND WHEEL OR A PIN WHEEL ROTATES THE ROTATING MEMBER TO PRODUCE A SIREN SOUND AS THE DIAPHRAGM IS VIBRATED IN THE FLEXURAL MODE.

19h F. s. TAURIELLO 3,619,936

PIN WHEEL S IREN Filed June 19, 1970 lNVlz'N'l'OR.

FRED .5. TAUR/ELLO Fig. 6 H 7 By ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,619,936 Patented Nov. 16, 1971 "lice US. Cl. 46-53 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pin wheel siren is disclosed wherein a diaphragm is driven in a flexural mode by a cantilever arm member fixed to the diaphragm at one end and displaced at the other free end in response to a rotating member having peripheral high and low regions. A wind wheel or a pin wheel rotates the rotating member to produce a siren sound as the diaphragm is vibrated in the flexural mode.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of invention This invention relates generally to toys which spin by action of the wind and more particularly to a pin wheel siren which generates a siren sound.

Prior art In the past, pin wheel toys have been used to generate sounds such as those produced by percussion or reed instruments and whirling propellers. However, one of the most attractive and entertaining sounds for children is that of a siren, but no known wind wheel or pin wheel toy produces a siren sound. Perhaps this is due to the fact that siren sounds are in the 750 to 2500 cycle per second range and therefore require the pin wheel to rotate at relatively high speeds. Such high speeds of course may be obtained when the pin wheel toy is held outside of a moving automobile, but for slower moving vehicles such as a bicycle, the necesary relative high speed may not be achieved. Accordingly then there is a pressing need for a pin wheel siren which will operate to produce a siren sound when used on a moving bicycle as well as a moving automobile.

Summary of the invention In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the pin wheel siren generates a siren sound lying in the 750 to 2500 cycle per second frequency range by flexing a diaphragm in a flexural mode, that is the diaphragm is vibrated in a complex sine wave about a point in the diaphragm. This is accomplished by fastening a cantilever longitudinal arm member at one end to the diaphragm and moving the other end of the longitudinal member by the coaction of a rotating member having peripheral high and low regions, for example, a pinion. The rotating member is driven by a wind wheel or pin wheel through a shaft fixed to the pinion. The pin wheel siren includes a thin Wall structure around the diaphragm for impedance matching between the vibrating diaphragm and the larger volume outside the diaphragm.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention, both as to its organization and method of operation will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the pin wheel siren in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the pin wheel siren of FIG. 1 with the cover removed to show details of the pin wheel siren;

FIGS. 3-5 are fragmentary schematic views showing how the longitudinal arm member flexes the diaphragm in response to the rotation of the displaced means;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another displacement means for use in the pin wheel siren of the present invention, and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of still another displacement means for use in the pin wheel siren of the present invention.

' DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing a pin wheel siren 10 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown. The pin wheel siren 10 includes a wind or pin wheel 11 (shown dotted and partly broken away) connected to a hub 12 and shaft 13 which is free to rotate on bearings 14 and 15. A frame 16 supports the bearings 14, 15 and the shaft 13 on side brackets 17, 18. An inertial member or flywheel 20 is mounted on the shaft 13. The shaft 13 may be rotated by hand at the knurl portion 21 or by wind acting on the pin wheel 11 so that once in motion the shaft 13 tends to stay in motion by the inertia of the flywheel 20, the shaft 13 and the hub 12.

In accordance with the invention, the pin wheel siren 10 includes a diaphragm means 22, a displacement means 23 and a cantilevered longitudinal arm member 24 coupled between the diaphragm means 22 and the displacement means 23. The diaphragm means 22 in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention is a unitary structure having a diaphragm 25 supported by side Walls 26 surrounding the diaphragm 25. The side walls 26 provide an impedance matching between the diaphragm 25 and the outside atmosphere. The diaphragm means 22 may be moulded in a unitary wall structure of relatively thin resilient plastic such as polyethylene, nylon plastic, vinyl or the like which resonate when vibrated. The diaphragm 25 is shown as rectangular in shape but it should be understood the diaphragm 25 may be elliptical or circular in shape. The diaphragm means 22 is mounted and fixed on the frame 16 by detents 29. The frame 16 includes an opening 28 below the diaphragm means 22.

The displacement means 23 is fixed to the shaft 13 for rotation therewith. The displacement means 23 includes a circular member 30 having peripheral high and low regions on the circular member 30 as formed by the projecting teeth 31 and the space 32 between the teeth 31. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the circular member 30 has eight teeth 31 but it should be understood that the circular member 30 can have more or less teeth than shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 but should have at least one tooth 31.

The cantilever longitudinal member 24 is fixed to the diaphragm 25 at a center position thereon by tabs at 35. The longitudinal arm is bent away from the diaphragm 25 at 40 so that equal portions of the arm member 24 may be disposed about the center position at 35. The arm member 24 preferably is made of lightweight resilient material having sufficient strength to flex the diaphragm 25 when the arm member 24 is displaced or moved at the free end 41 by the displacement means 23. The arm mem ber 24 may be made preferably of steel, however other resilient material may be used. The free end 41 of the arm member 24 has a V-shape so that the displacement means 23 and the circular member 30 may move in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction to displace the free end 41 of the arm member 24 in response to rotation of the shaft 13.

Referring to FIG. 1, the pin wheel siren 10 includes a housing 42 for covering the aforesaid working structural elements of the pin wheel siren 10. The pin wheel siren 10 for purposes of illustration is supported by a standard 43 having a vertical shaft 44 disposed between a shaft retaining member 48 and a lower clamping bar 45 and an upper clamping bar 46 for clamping the pin wheel siren to the handle bar 47 of a bicycle so that the pin wheel 11 will face forward and ride into the wind thereby causing rotation of the pin wheel 11. It should be understood that the pin wheel siren 10 may be used without the lower and upper clamping bars 45, 46 when hand carried. The pin wheel siren 10 may also be placed inside a toy vehicle (not shown) so that the wind pressure moves the pin wheel 11 or the pin wheel 11 may be removed and the shaft 13 may be rotated by wheels on the toy vehicle without departing from the invention.

In the operation of the pin wheel siren 10, the pin wheel 11 freely rotates in response to wind pressure and in turn rotates the shaft 13. The flywheel provides inertia to keep the shaft 13 in motion. The displacement means 23 and the circular member rotate with the shaft 13. As the circular member 30 rotates with the shaft 13, each tooth 31 (high region) displaces or raises the free end 41 of the arm member 24 as it comes in contact with the tooth 31 (FIG. 5).

In response to this displacement or raising of the free end 41 of the arm member 24, the diaphragm 25 is flexed at as shown in FIG. 5. The fiexure of the diaphragm 25 end 41 of arm member 24 falls in the space 32 (low is in a complex sine wave in one phase and when the free region) between the teeth 31 the diaphragm 25 is flexed into the complex wave but in another phase as shown in FIG. 4. The diaphragm 25 is driven into flexural vibrations as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 as each tooth 31 and space 32 coacts with the free end 41 of the arm member 24 in response to rotation of the shaft and thereby generates the siren sound.

Referring to FIG. 6, a modification of the displacement means 23 is shown in that the circular member 30 is modified into a member 50 having teeth 51 and a relatively large arcuate space 52 between teeth 51. A mounting hole is shown at 53 for mounting the member 50 to the shaft 13. It should be understood that the member 50 may be moulded onto the shaft 13. The relatively large space between the teeth 51 affects the siren sound by producing a variable or modulated frequency siren sound.

In FIG. 7, another modification of the displacement means 30 is shown. In FIG. 7, the displacement means 30 includes an elliptical member 54 having uniformly spaced teeth 54 and spaces 56 between the teeth 54. A mounting hole 57 is provided for mounting the member 54 on the shaft 13. The elliptical member 54 due to its elliptical shape modulates the siren sound when rotated with the shaft 13 and coacts with the free end 41 of the arm member 24.

While the invention has been described in detail in connection with a preferred embodiment, it will be understood that modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:

1. A pin wheel siren comprising:

(a) a frame,

(b) a shaft rotatably mounted on said frame,

(0) diaphragm means including a diaphragm mounted on said frame,

(d) a longitudinal arm member fixed at one end thereof to said diaphragm,

(e) displacement means coupled to said shaft for displacing the other end of said longitudinal arm member at least once for each revolution of said shaft so that said diaphragm is vibrated at said one end of said arm member, and

(f) rotation means for rotating said shaft.

2. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein said rotation means is a pin wheel connected to said shaft.

3. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein said longitudinal arm member is a resilient member cantilevered from said diaphragm.

4. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein said displacement means includes a member having peripheral high and low regions coacting with said other end of said longitudinal member.

5. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein said diaphragm vibrates in a flexural mode at said one end of of said arm member.

6. The invention defined in claim 1 further including an inertial member on said shaft.

7. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein said diaphragm means includes support means including side wall members around said diaphragm for acoustic impedance matching between said diaphragm and atmosphere.

8. The invention defined in claim 3 wherein said longitudinal arm member is disposed outside of said wall members.

9. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein said displacement means includes a pinion.

10. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein said diaphragm means includes said diaphragm and side walls formed as a unitary thin walled structure.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,392,481 7/1968 Lee 4658 3,151,866 10/1964 Glass et al. 46-192 1,166,247 12/1915 Pachur 4653 1,769,784 7/1930 Hopps 4658 LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner ROBERT F CUTTING, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 4658, 178, 179 

